WestJet, Air Canada and Air Transat sending planes to get travellers out of Hurricane Irma's path

Canadian airlines are sending planes to the Dominican Republic as well as Turks and Caicos to bring people back to Canada ahead ofHurricane Irma.

The first Air Transat and WestJet planes left Toronto's Pearson and Montreal's Trudeau airports by 7a.m. ET, and were all slated to return by 7 p.m. ET, while Air Canada says it is taking steps to help customers.

Neither Air Transatnor WestJet specified precisely how many passengers are expected to return to Canada.

Montreal-based Air Transat saidit is sending aircraft to the Dominican Republic seven to Punta Cana, two to Puerto Plata and one to Samana.

"All aircraft should arrive in theDominican Republicon the morning ofSeptember 6th, and passengers should be back inCanadain the afternoon or early evening," the airline said in a news release.

• Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Caribbean
• What to expect from Hurricane Irma

Calgary-based WestJetsaid it has"a number"of 737-800soperating as rescue flights to Punta Cana and Puerto Plataon Wednesday.For Thursday, the airline plans to runadditional flights to Santa Clara and Cayo Cocoin Cubato return travellersto Canada.

Earlier, Westjet had said it was sendingfive planes to the Caribbean: three to PuntaCana, another to Puerto Plata, andone aircraft to Turks and Caicos.

Air Canada, headquartered in Montreal, said it is "monitoring the situation closely and taking steps to assist our customers, including proactively contacting them on location to inform them on increased capacity and additional flights."

Irma, considered the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, made landfall in the northeast Caribbean overnight. The storm is following a path predicted to then rake Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida.

The Category 5 storm had maximum sustained winds of 295 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

On Tuesday,Air Canadaaddedextra flightsto Antigua andProvidencialesin the Turks and Caicos island chain.

The airline added extra flights to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and is replacing some routes to Cuba and Florida with larger aircraft to accommodate those wishing to travel early, said Isabelle Arthur, senior manager of media relations with the airline.

The airlinehas also waivedfees for customers wanting to change flights.

American Airlines has added extra flights out of the Caribbean islands of St.Maartenand St. Kitts and Nevis, and is also allowing people booked on flights in Irma's path to rebook with no change and under certain guidelines.

Sunwing said southbound flights departing Wednesday and ThursdaytoPuntaCana,and Wednesday through Fridayto PuertoPlatahave been cancelled, butcustomers have been given the option to rebook or change destination. The company saidpassengers due to depart to Cuba between Wednesday and Sunday can also rebook or change destination.

Sunwing also said northbound servicefrom Punta Cana and Puerto Plataisscheduled to depart as normal on Wednesday, "in addition to special flights arranged to bring passengers currently in destination home early." The company did not specify the number of special flights.

Toronto resident Adrianna Prosser, however,said she has had no success in getting hold of anyone with Sunwing. Prosser arrived in Punta Cana on Monday, and said the phone lines are dead and company representatives on the island can't be found.

"There are no flights," she told CBC News. "There are a lot of cancellations and people are making the best of it."

"Right now, the trajectory [of the storm] has swooped up a little bit north, so we're hoping that we just get the tropical storm rather than the hurricane."

• Why even record-breaking hurricane can't hit Category 6

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said his government was evacuating the six islands in the south because authorities would not be able to help anyone caught in the "potentially catastrophic" storm.

People there would be flown to Nassau starting Wednesday in what he called the largest storm evacuation in the country's history.